Friday, July 31, 2009

It's the 100th post! And what better way to celebrate 100 posts on the Schwer blog than with pornography! Recently on 2ch, the cover of zaku6's upcoming doujin, to be released at C76, was unveiled. It is entitled "Fukurou no Youni - Himawari". To be honest, I don't know what that means.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

It has come to my attention that a few people were not happy that I said RKS fanart on DeviantArt is mostly garbage, so I've decided to showcase various images from DA with honest criticisms about each work. I encourage you Schwer readers to also give your honest criticisms about the work as well. In fact, I am asking you to do so. So without further ado, here we go.

---------------------

We'll start things off with this image of Liebea by our good friend Superjustinbros. According to the post, this is a remastered version. That's right. This is the second, better version of a Liebea drawing. At least he's getting proportions down a bit better, even if they are still amateur to a fault. Definitely better than most webcomics though. Or something. Am I being too lenient with this one?

---------------------

Oh dear lord, where do I begin? Aside from the terrible body proportions and somewhat awkward coloring, HOW CAN ANYONE DRAW THAT FACE ON GROLLA AND GO "WELL, THAT'S PERFECT. I'M PROUD OF THIS ONE!"???!??!?!?!?! I had to fight laughter while making that thumbnail. Trumi did apologize for the flaws in the picture, which I guess is okay, but to refer to Grolla as "working for the church as an inquisitor?" Does this person know ANYTHING about Grolla? This is part of my problem with the English DA "fanbase" for RKS. These people aren't fans. Most of the stuff I found was done via art trades for Justin. It's irritating.

---------------------

"I never played RKS before, but i watched a lot of videos of it on Youtube and there's even some RKS sprite sheets at the Spriter's Resource, too!" I have to hand it to Jigglypuffgirl, though. It takes a special kind of talent to turn Zorne into a Jigglypuff... thing. I really don't want to be a jerk about these things, but I can't figure out how artists can see work like this and think it's suitable. Her face is a ball, and her left forearm is the length of your average spear. At least the outfit is accurate. I think.

---------------------

Here's some meme brought to us by YukoHanna. To be completely honest, I think the little doodles on the side of the image are pretty cute and have great potential for some things. The image meme itself is a bit sloppy, but I'll grant that, as I think everything else is kinda adorable. Unfortunately, her only other gambit into RKS territory was a mediocre picture of Trauare, but we'll see where it goes in the future.

---------------------

Excellent contribution, KentakunAI! This is the best RKS fanart I've seen yet. It's so accurate to the source material that it actually looks like a screencap of the game! Super impressive! Why do people think that this is suitable for an art gallery? Just use Imageshack and make a journal post or something. Post in a forum. Whatever. Don't do this.

---------------------

I like this. I really like this. Schwer reader AmethystViper's little comic makes me laugh when I see it, and I want more of them. I think what really gets me is Freu's last line, because I hear it in my head in a very non-Freu way, and it just makes me giggle. The art style of amateurish, but it conveys the joke and "emotion" of the comic just fine. He has a few other pieces of RKS art, a few "chibi" characters, that are pretty alright.

---------------------

Check it out! BubblePlash provided us with an image of Richard Refraktia's sisters. Richard Refraktia? Really? This is why we hate you, Justin. Your original characters are enough to me want to stab myself, but that's neither here nor there. The art itself is pretty mediocre, as Lecht is apparently missing both eyes. Maybe Rink took them to make hers look enormous. I don't know! Sucks for Lecht, since she loves books so much.

---------------------

I was about to give TheGloriesBigJ one thing: this image is from August of last year. I figured that maybe his art had improved some over the past year, and frankly, it has in some ways. However, looking at his latest image, a Kingdom Hearts-style Flandre Scarlet, I have to say that he hasn't improved by much. The image of Grolla and Zero is very odd, as it looks like both Grolla's head and torso have been run over from the side. It also portrays Grolla as a bit... frail, which is quite the opposite of what she should be. I kinda like that Grollschwert has jagged sawblade teeth on it now, though.

---------------------

This picture is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. It's also supposed to be Trauare. DeviantArtist steohen2 has absolutely no idea what Trauare looks like. Justin draws more accurate Trauare pictures. This is not excusable. I'm not going to bother critiquing the NWS parts of the image, but I assure you that there are a few glaring problems. If you don't mind NWS stuff, I encourage you to check out his Sichte picture. I can't even begin to describe it with words. The guy sometimes does release some decent line art, so I can't fault him for everything, but there is plenty I can fault him for, and this "Trauare" imposter thing is definitely one of them.

---------------------

But you know, all hope is not lost, since there are artists out there like Akira-Hikari. Given, his art isn't perfect, and some of their breasts put WOMI's girls to shame, but this is by far the best image of Grolla on DeviantArt. He's got a few others as well worth looking at, but that's really it. I do like his style for some of the pictures he does, but a few of them seem somewhat off in a way. I can't put my finger on why. Still, this Grolla owns.

---------------------

And there you have it. That's RKS fanart on DeviantArt in a nutshell. Do you still think I was a bit out of line in my initial comment? Please tell me exactly what you think. Oh, and here's some bonus art from Johnny Truant.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Finally, we're ready to go, so now I can do an official advertisement of this. The "no-CD version" of the English patch, officially called "The Best Version," as it is designed to work specifically with RKS THE BEST, is finally complete. Now that we have that settled, I urge all of you, if you haven't already, to head over to the English DLSite page for RKS and buy yourself a copy of Rosenkreuzstilette [erka:es] THE BEST. I've added a button over on the side in the External Links section for your convenience. Once you've got yourself a copy and sent all of your money to [erka:es] (ALL OF YOUR MONEY), head to the right sidebar again and pick up the English THE BEST patch and start your wonderful RKS crusade. Included in THE BEST is a neat little addition in the form of a high-res image of the DVD case cover, so in essence, you can actually print out an authentic cover for the game and have your very own physical copy! How neat is that? What are you waiting for!? Get to it!

Special thanks to [erka:es] for this great game, TDOMMX for the installers, and for all of you Schwer readers, because especially without you, there'd be no RKS fanbase, and we probably wouldn't be here today.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Alright, since I'm a bit overdue on updates, as there is literally nothing to talk about until the no-CD patch gets made, I've decided to do something of an art showcase. DeviantArt is chock full of literal crap in terms of quality RKS images, so until someone amazing shows up and starts pumping good pictures into that place, I'd steer clear of it. Instead, we go over to pixiv, where the quality to crap ratio is a lot higher. Here are some of the spotlights in no particular order. Click the images to go to their respective profiles. IMPORTANT: All of these profiles are to be considered NWS, regardless of the content within them.

---------

Now, I've made it pretty clear in the past that I do not like the stuff that Superjustinbros draws, and I think some of you have been a lot more vocal about it than I have. Well, I have to admit that this particular image of Freudia is one that I actually like, and it's a sign that, hopefully, he's taking some recently-given advice to heart. Be warned, though, that when you click that profile, you'll get what you're expecting to get.

---------

This Luste was brought to you by SHUNTA-ROWE, who has a fairly cute collection of pictures. He seems to concentrate a lot on mecha musume-type characters, so you'll be seeing some girls with robotic features in his archive. You'll also get to see Immaterial and Missing Power sprite edits of Marisa and Alice in one-piece swimsuits. Just throwing that out there.

---------

Here's a really nice picture of Spiritia by Ippanjin The Bloodedge. I really like this style, and if you check out his profile, you'll be greeted with a lot more, including similar images of Freudia and Grolla. If that wasn't enough, he has a nice variety of images that are sure to satiate the Touhou fans out there. Surprisingly, however, there is almost no Blazblue art. There happens to be one seemingly no-effort Arakune, but that's it. I expected a bit more, but you can't always get what you want!

---------

While the Caramelldansen trend sometimes irritates me, especially since the history behind the .gif and the original flash videos have been pretty much ignored, I do have a soft spot in my art for these cute Popotan knock-offs. Zipang's Schwer image is no exception. He was even kind enough to toss an animated version on his website. There sure are a lot of links in this description! Just be sure to click them.

---------

Of course, no Schwer and Schwer Alike showcase is complete with something from our artist affiliate, Kiora. This image happens to be one of my favorites of his, a picture of Iris that depicts her exactly as she appears to be: an innocent and cute girl who would never hurt a fly. Oh, how wrong we are. As usual, a link to Kiora's blog, which is updated fairly regularly with new art, can be found on the right sidebar.

---------

I'm not sure what exactly is up with Hissatsu-kun's obsession with people slurping ramen, but it's a common theme in some of the Dolis Warmind creator's artwork. It's strange, but his art is pretty good, so I can't complain. Plus, there's a huge image gallery, so there's bound to be something in there you like. Although, I'm not a big fan of his Noel Vermillion...

---------

Glacies appears to be a big RKS fan with nearly a third of his uploads being RKS-related. I do, however, love his ability to sprite-edit, something I've always wanted to do. Check out his collection if only for the Megaman-related images (such as RockUdonge X) and his RKS sprite stuff. It's stellar.

---------

I love Masakichi's style. That's all that I can say. It's so comic-y and just super adorable, for the most part. You have to see the rest of his collection for yourself. That's all I really have to say about it.

---------

And last but not least, SaSA blog reader Johnny Truant, the artist that brought us Sexy Grolla, has provided us once again with something great. Click the thumbnail to be treated to Sexy Freudia. Thanks a bunch for that one, and I hope you, and others, contribute more in the future!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

My absence can only be explained by some engagements outside of the internet. I haven't even been at my computer much, so I haven't been around to make an update. Regardless, I'm here now, so it's time for an update.

The initial English release for Rosenkreuzstilette is done and can be found here on the Darkside Translations site. Despite my own earlier judgment, I'm going to go ahead and say something about it. Before, it was stated that the script work was going to be split between TDOMMX and myself, with him handling the Spiritia script and me, the intense Grolla fanboy I am, handling the Grolla script. Well, that didn't happen. I wrote a script, but much of it was pretty much rejected by TDOMMX. Not so much flat-out thrown away, but in the end, so many changes were made that it didn't feel like my script anymore. There were a lot of creative differences and various disagreements, and finally, I could not take it anymore and just threw my hands up. My text had to fit his predetermined characterization and meet his editorial criteria, and it became so much of a big deal that doing this project for a game that I enjoy as much as I do went from something fun and exciting to something frustrating and headache-inducing. I couldn't enjoy it anymore. It's unfortunate, but what's done is done, I guess. While the script that I did write was referenced and used in bits and pieces, what you see is not really my work anymore and, as such, not really what I wanted. Hopefully you all will like this far more than I do. I apologize for my ranting.

[erka:es] released the digital-distribution version of RKS far sooner than I thought they would, and it is available through both Melonbooks and DLSite. However, I knew about this a few days ago and was hesitating to post anything about it for a reason. There have been a few changes that were made to the game during the course of the English translation, and I want to bring all of that to Isemiya's attention to see if he will decide to implement some of those changes or not. Regardless of the answer, as soon as I get word, I will provide a full tutorial on how to get the game through the download sites. If you don't really care and simply want to purchase the game as soon as possible, check out the [erka:es] diary page and use the links they provided.

Anyway, we look forward to working on Freudenstachel in the future, so if you like RKS enough now that (some of) you can play it in English, stick around. That's all for now.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Schwer reader and writer for the website GamingFringe, Iam Canadian, wrote up an interesting article for Rosenkreuzstilette. It's a quite nice review that covers all of the basics and goes over the various characters in the game. I encourage everyone to check it out, if not for the article then for the stellar artwork previewed above.

With the recent developments as they are, TDOMMX and I have talked, and we have come to a final conclusion that you all will like.

The release schedule will continue as planned with the English patch installer (CD required) being released on the 15th, give or take depending on play-testing issues. Two weeks later (I assume around August 1st or so), we will be releasing a no-CD version of the installer. If you have the disc, grats. You get to play the patch "early" or something. If you do not, you just have to wait a short while, and you can join in the fun as well. We will finally be releasing a third English patch that will work with the inevitable final release of the game that [erka:es] makes.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

[erka:es] will be at Summer Comiket, and they will have a few copies of both the original game and the Freudenstachel demo. The original game copies may be the last copies that we will ever see, though they may end up in a store or two afterward. If you want a copy and know someone going to Summer Comiket, you might want to pass on the info that they will be there on that Saturday in the eastern wing, "R" Block 32a. I have a friend going, and he may be able to pick up a copy for someone, but I can't guarantee anything due to lines and what-not. Just throwing it out there.

Monday, July 6, 2009

[erka:es] has made a diary update on their website, featuring a brand new (and incredible) picture of the Refraktia twins. I think this is one of WOMI's best works yet, so click that thumbnail down there and check it out. Also, Freudenstachel Web Trial! Just kidding. You knew better.

So I lied. With the help of Zeppy's resident TLer Tanin, I did actually contact [erka:es] about the current state of the English translation patch and the future availability of Rosenkreuzstilette, and Isemiya responded a lot sooner than I was expecting. Turns out they are very happy about the translation and admire the amount of work we've put into the thing, which is pretty awesome. Once it's released, we will be presenting it in its entirety for them. While I do not expect official implementation of it into the game in its current form, the fact that they are happy with what they have seen (I assume they've been exposed to either this blog or KreuzChannel) makes me very excited. I feel like the entire thing has been worth it.

As for availability, [erka:es] has no plans to reissue physical copies of the game any time soon. Part of me knew this was going to happen, so once again, I call the disc requirements into question, because at this point, you're not getting it and you probably never will. However, they are currently considering re-releasing the game through digital distribution by allowing people outside of Japan to purchase what amounts to a "Greatest Hits" version of Rosenkreuzstilette through a download site. While the collector in me is sad to see this, I know that, through this method, people will still be able to technically own a copy of RKS with the profits going straight to Isemiya and WOMI themselves, and honestly, with digital distro being the way of the future, I think this is a huge step for doujin games, and I genuinely hope that it is adopted by other circles. With the overwhelming support for the game that has been displayed, I hope that you all opt to purchase the game in this manner. They're still working on getting it all together, though, so there are no further details and no projected release date at this time. Because of this development, the English patch requirement of the game disc is going to be addressed with full discussions happening between Darkside and Zeppy, because I flat-out refuse to help release it if people can purchase the game legitimately and still have to find or create a disc to play it in English. This may cause the release date to be somewhat postponed, but I think it'll end up being better for everyone.

The issue of pirating the ISO copies of RKS was not directly mentioned in the e-mail response I received from them. I imagine that, because of the aforementioned digital distribution plan, while they showed no negative feelings towards the subject, they probably aren't in full support of it either. That said, I request that there be no further discussion on how or where to get a copy of the game here on Schwer and Schwer Alike. I am in full support of their digital distribution plans, and I would like nothing more than to see that come to fruition.

Because of the RKS Grollschwert C72 Trial video featured on Schwer and Schwer Alike, a number of RKS fans were exposed to the Famicom-style version of "SHINING MAN," the song that eventually became rearranged into Zorne's stage theme. Schirach's creator, Daddy/Dadi, addressed how good it was and was wondering if, because the site it was (possibly) originally from is currently nonexistent, it was actually the work of [erka:es] themselves. This was denied and quickly attributed to the artist "maru's house." However, I can't quite tell, but they may have had something to do with the final version used for Zorne's stage, so I'll have that addressed here as soon as possible.

I'll try and have a full TL of the e-mail sent to me as well as the [erka:es] news post as soon as possible (I'm currently on something of a road trip), so who knows when I'll be back. Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

According to the Darkside Translations front page, the RKS English Trial has been issued a new release. It's significantly smaller than the initial release, which is a nice plus. The download links are available over on the right, so if you didn't get it the first time around, grab it now. Or something.

I would like to get that ridiculous drama bomb out of the way and move on to more important issues. One thing I will mention is that I will eventually have something to reveal to the lot of you that may make some of you rather happy, depending on the response that I receive.

Anyways, there still isn't much in the way of RKS news, though I encourage you all to check out Kiora's blog (you can find it through his website), as he's been posting new RKS fanart there via his iPhone. I especially like his new Trau. Summer Comiket still seems like years away, so it feels like forever until we'll get zaku6's doujin. Even more forever is the actual release for Freudenstachel this winter, a game we haven't even gotten a working web trial for. I'm almost getting antsy thinking about it.

There hasn't been much to post on KreuzChannel, mostly because I haven't received anything to put up and haven't really found or done anything new that's remotely post-worthy. I imagine that once the English patch is released, we can put our efforts towards working on the Grolla mods I have in mind, which I will probably share with you all in a later post.

I will probably do another Schwer review soon as filler until something happens. I have just the game in mind, so if you like more Megaman clones, you can look forward to it. Meanwhile, the offer still stands that if you have something you want to showcase, I don't mind posting it. Freu knows I need some new material, because I really don't want this place to run dry.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The English patch of Rosenkreuzstilette will require the game disc, physical or ISO.

This decision will most like not be changed at all, as it is the best possible method is terms of quote "practicality and ethics." This, in turn, means that you will be left to find the game image or disc on your own. For those of you who already have the game installed, you will inevitably have to uninstall the game and reinstall it from the disc using the English patch. Replays are transferable, so you'll probably want to grab those before you delete it.

For anyone who does not have access to the game disc for any reason, I'm sorry to say that you're pretty much left out. There's nothing I can do about this decision, so there's nothing more that I can say.

I have a question for the Schwer readers. I need as much input and feedback as possible, so please, everyone comment.

I am having something of a disagreement with TDOMMX about the English patch, so I would like to have the opinions of the community who will actually be playing the game. The English Trial version required the game disc, either in ISO or physical form, to install the "Extended Preview", which allowed people to see the English scripts for the prologue and the 8 bosses. I found this to be a nice little goody, so it was all well and good. However, he also wants to make the disc a requirement for the final patch, and I don't really think that's a good idea.

TDOMMX's reason, as noted in the previous comments, are as follows:You will however need an original RKS game disc to install the English version; our installer dummy-proofs the process, installs the necessary system files, the game itself, the Freudia Voice Enhancement, and our English localization. In effect, you get Version 1.05 since that's what our graphics edits are based on. Unfortunately, NSIS isn't nearly as intelligent as [erka:es]'s custom patcher, so the installer filesize will be a little larger than I would like (though it won't be quite as large as the English Trial - that contained two versions of the game instead of just one).

In spite of the fact that there's a tutorial on this very blog linked to on the right menu on how to install all of the necessary patches from a clean install, he still feels this necessary.

What is your opinion? Do you think having the physical disc/disc image should be a requirement for the English patch of the game?

Site Introduction

Where in the world are you? I'm glad you asked! Welcome to Schwer and Schwer Alike, the main English blog site for all things Rosenkreuzstilette (RKS for short). RKS is a Mega Man clone doujin game created by [erka:es] and is a much-needed piece of work in a world where Capcom won't release Mega Man Universe or Legends 3.

Formerly a duo, [erka:es] is currently a one-man show run by WOMI, the series main artist. There's a link below to their main website, if you're so inclined, and if you're interested, you can try the game's English demo or purchase it at DLSite (link below)! The possibilities are endless!